Protecting A Rose
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: "Welcome to Beacon." Weiss said with a smile that she had perfected over the years, one that was impossible to tell whether it was genuine or not. Emerald felt the corner of her lip curl up into a faint snarl, but it was almost undetectable. "It's good to be here." She said sweetly. [Happy RWBY Tuesday!]
1. Chapter 1

**First episode of volume 2 aired last week and there was just one line that inspired this fic. You'll know it when you read it, probably.**

**A/N: There's gonna be a lot of POV shifts with the breaks so just be aware of that.**

***Just a plea to not murder me in the future. I wrote this after only having seen one episode of Emerald's character so I'm well-aware that when we get future material, this probably won't be what her character is like. I'm just here to have a good time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Protecting A Rose

Chapter 1.

She stood with posture erect, hands folded behind her back just as Cinder had instructed her to at a young age.

Like a soldier, like the expendable pawn she was.

But Emerald liked to believe - in some crevice of her mind - that Cinder harbored some form of favoritism toward her above all the others; even if it was just an iota, that was enough. She had always been one of the people closest to Cinder, and she intended to maintain her position even at the cost of her life.

Or anyone else's.

She looked seriously up at the woman in red, keeping her eyes trained on Cinder's mouth, focusing on the words she was speaking, absorbing them into her body; Cinder's orders were her lifeblood, after all. Every new line of them fueled Emerald to strive another day, and now was no different as she listened to the details of Phase 2.

She _really_ liked the sound of it.

It was always a bit hard to keep her eyes away from Cinder's, especially when Emerald felt the eager excitement spreading through her veins like it was now. But making eye contact with her at the wrong time could be interpreted as a challenge or insolence, and could consequently mean certain death.

In Emerald's case, it was usually just scolding, but she never wanted to upset Cinder, so she avoided her eyes until she was asked for confirmation that she had heard every word the woman said.

"Do you understand?" Her voice carried over the dark air like a bat gliding, bearing its fangs.

At last, Emerald lifted her gaze and met Cinder's.

"Yes, ma'am."

Short, fast, and confident, like any proper soldier.

The grin she received from Cinder was more than enough of a reward for her, but it appeared the woman had an added bonus this time.

She strode up to her, heels clicking with perfect sound every time, their approaching echoes promising something worthwhile. Emerald closed her eyes as Cinder reached her, savoring the airy feeling of the hand on her head, ruffling lightly, as one would pet a dog.

And that was fine. She could be Cinder's servant in every sense of the word, so long as it meant things like this. Such a simple touch provided her with enough motivation to send all of Vale into chaos, but she knew she needed to focus her energies on the current mission.

"Good girl," Cinder cooed with a killer smile. She ran her hand down Emerald's cheek, tracing the line of her jaw and sending and unseen shudder through her pet's body before curling the nail of her index finger beneath the girl's chin. "Now pack your bags, dear. Classes start in two days."

* * *

"Guys, guys! Classes start today!" Ruby chirped excitedly. "I can't wait oooh gosh. Well, I mean I'm sure I'll be bored with all the lectures again by next week, but it's the feeling of going back and seeing everyone again in class and learning new material and the exchange students are gonna be showing up soon and-"

"Whoa there, little sis." Yang gently covered the girl's mouth with her palm. "Just chill for a sec, 'kay? I know you're excited but that's no reason to forget to breathe. Again."

"Hey!" Ruby wriggled away from her. "That was _one time!_"

"Still," Weiss spoke from across the room as she fixed her hair. "It's almost as though you're forgetting we have a week's worth of detention now because of that food fight yesterday."

"Ugh, I was trying to forget that part..." Ruby slumped dramatically down onto her partner's bed. "Weiss, why did you have to start that food fight?"

"_Excuse_ me? _You're_ the one who made that bold declaration, JNPR are the ones who_ threw the pie in my face,_ and _Yang's_ the one who had them start tossing food in the first place!"

"Hey, don't pin this on me!" the accused whined.

"Um, guys?" Blake spoke up only when she needed to. "We should probably get going."

"Oh, you're right!" Ruby jumped up again and gathered her books quickly, slipping them into her bag. "Let's go, let's go! I wanna meet all the new people in our first class before it starts!"

Weiss and Yang let their brewing argument drop in favor of Ruby's excitement, and they too packed their things before following their leader out into the halls.

As soon as they made their way over to the main building, the atmosphere changed drastically from the easygoing air of the dorms.

The halls were busy and bustling with students making their ways to their lockers and lectures. However, some were dressed in their combat attire, not yet having received their school uniforms.

Those were the people Ruby was after.

She bounced excitedly at the edge of the crowd, and Weiss had to hold her by the hood to keep her from darting off.

"What's gotten into you?" she wondered, grunting with the effort of attempting to keep the girl still.

"Really." Blake was puzzled as well, turning her attention to Yang. "I mean, when I first met you two, you were basically forcing Ruby to socialize with me. So why is she so eager to do it now?"

"Oh, Blake," Yang sighed hopelessly. "It's not socializing she wants."

"What do you-"

"Just watch."

Blake's ears pricked curiously beneath her bow as her eyes strayed back to their young leader.

She quickly understood what Yang was getting at.

Ruby was quite literally bouncing up and down as jovial cheers squeaked past her lips, and it took everything Weiss had to keep her from running off as she gushed: "Oooh my gosh! He's got dual blades! And oh, oh! She's got a bow and elemental arrows! Ooohh holy cow and she's got-"

"Okay, I think you've seen enough for one morning," Weiss decided, taking both of Ruby's wrists and leading her away. "We need to get to class."

"Uwaah but Weiss! This is the only chance I'll get to see any new weapons before the tournament and that's _so_ far awaaaayy! Everyone's gonna be putting them in their lockers from now on! C'mooon I just wanna see!"

"Sorry, sis." Yang slapped a palm to her back. "But Weiss is right- hey, that rhymes!"

"Oh my god..."

"Okay." Blake intercepted them before it could tumble any farther downhill. "Let's just get to class, alright?"

"Okaaay..." Ruby whimpered.

She trailed behind Weiss on their way to class then, holding onto her hand like a lost child in a crowd of strangers. They had gotten a little ways ahead of the other two, separated a bit amidst the flow of people.

Weiss could feel the disappointment palpably wafting around her partner, and when she cast a glance back over her shoulder, Ruby's head was hanging dejectedly. Weiss sighed and pulled her to the edge of the crowd to a quieter wall, taking a breather from the swarm.

Weiss wanted to cheer her up; she could not stand seeing Ruby so downhearted, even over something as simple as this. She turned to face her and let go of her partner's hands, only to hold onto her shoulders instead.

"Alright, think of it this way," Weiss began, and Ruby slowly lifted her head with a pitiable sniffle. She met Weiss's eyes, kind and soft now that they were out of plain sight, and there was a small, reassuring smile on the heiress's lips as she addressed her. "The tournament isn't very far off. So just think of it like a game; you wouldn't want to spoil the super-cool surprises of everyone's new weapons before they got a chance to use them in combat, now would you?"

Ruby thought on that point for a minute until her lower lip finally stopped trembling.

"Yeah..." She nodded slowly. "Yeah, you're right, Weiss. It wouldn't be any fun to spoil all the cool weapons and abilities now. I'd wanna see them in action!" A wide grin upturned her lips. "Thanks, Weiss!"

"Good. Now let's get to class." The older girl turned away with a faint smile, glad that she could cheer her partner up.

As Ruby followed her through the crowds again, the brunette caught sight of a rather peculiar person, and could not keep her eyes from straying.

A girl with hair the color of lamb's ear leaves was staring back at her. Her eyes were deep crimson, and for a moment, Ruby might have thought she was a bit scary, until the girl broke out into an amiable smile. Ruby returned the gesture briefly before following after Weiss.

Maybe now that she had her own team, making new friends would not be so hard.

* * *

Emerald hissed as yet another student knocked into her, offering only a brief apology.

If not for Mercury to quite literally hold her back, she probably would have turned the hallway into a slaughter house by now.

"Bastards... she growled. "I swear, the next person who does that is getting flayed."

"No they're not," her companion sighed. "Not unless you want Cinder to demote you. Or worse."

She shuddered.

"Nothing's worse than that. Fine," she grunted, opting to change the subject.

At least they were not the only two inconspicuous people around Beacon.

Dozens of others also lacked a uniform, and Emerald grimaced at the thought of having to wear such a flimsy thing. She had been groaning both internally and externally about that tidbit all morning.

Presently, however, Mercury snapped her out of that reverie.

"Come on," he said, taking her by the arm. "We've gotta find the main office so we can get our stuff. And make sure you keep an eye out for the people we're looking for."

"I _know_ that, dumbass," she hissed, yanking away from him. "It doesn't matter how many people are here at this place. Finding people to match that description shouldn't be too..."

Her voice trailed off as her feet stopped moving.

The sounds of the boisterous school around her died away for a split second, all other bodies turning gray in her eyes as she found exactly what she was looking for.

There was no mistaking it was her.

The girl with the red cloak.

The one that had intercepted one of Cinder's plans at a Dust shop a few months back.

Her target.

Her _prey_.

Emerald's lips curled into a devilish, hungry smile.

But she hid her exposed teeth behind her lips just as the girl looked toward her, and Emerald immediately softened her expression. When the girl smiled back, she knew she had her precisely where she wanted her.

A few seconds later, they broke eye contact as the girl was led away, and the world resumed motion in Emerald's eyes.

"Hey!" Mercury's voice ruined her fun yet again. "I said we gotta go. What's your deal?"

But Emerald did not snap at him this time. Instead, she turned slowly, showing him her hunter's smile.

"Oh, this is going to be fun, Merc._ So much fun_."

* * *

The first day back in classes after their two-week recess was refreshing to Ruby.

It felt good to get back into the swing of things, and surprisingly enough, she believed Weiss had rubbed off on her in the sense that she felt she was getting used to the routine of lectures; having some time off was nice and all, but she had felt so lazy with not much to do over break.

The prospect of training practices for the tournament was probably what she was most anticipating. Even the detention was not as bad as she had initially thought, considering her entire team was there with her.

At first, she was really scared that Weiss was going to be mad at her, scared that the heiress was going to be mortified at having gotten detention.

But Weiss never once complained as they served their sentence of cleaning cafeteria dishes for an hour after classes. In fact, Ruby could tell she was _enjoying_ it, not only because Weiss was a sucker for cleaning and organizing things, but because she got to do so with her _team_ – even if Yang was being an idiot most of the time.

Weiss only yelled once when the blonde had stacked her dishes dangerously high:

"Yang! Put them back _immediately!_ What if they break and fall? Someone's going to get hurt, you oaf!"

It was obvious to Ruby that her partner was only looking out for all of them.

When they had finished up, Weiss had put her hands on her hips and declared she was satisfied with the work they had done that day, and maybe – just maybe – she would not mind doing this again for the rest of the week.

But they still had homework assignments, and Weiss was not about to let them start falling behind in their lectures.

She had made sure they all finished their assignments, even going so far as to help Ruby with her final one when the clock had passed 11PM and the young leader still had yet to change into her pajamas. Weiss had quickly assisted her in finishing up and insisted Ruby get some rest.

And Ruby knew it was because of Weiss that she presently felt so rejuvenated as she took her seat for their first class of their second day back.

Yang and Blake sat a few rows away from her, but Ruby was glad that Weiss's spot was right beside her. _Especially_ now, considering the seat to her left that had been vacant up until this point was going to seat a new student starting today.

It was painfully obvious to Weiss how nervous her partner was about that, and the heiress herself was a bit conflicted as well; part of her wanted Ruby to make more friends and be happy with her new relationships, but another part of her wanted to keep her team to herself, keep an eye on them, _especially_ her young leader.

She wanted to be Ruby's best teammate, and Weiss was unsure of if she should achieve that by letting Ruby make new acquaintances, or if she should keep her away from others.

Either way, Weiss wanted to protect the girl first and foremost. But holding a casual conversation with someone she would only see every other morning should not be so bad, right?

But it was clear just how nervous Ruby was, and Weiss slid in beside her to get her attention.

"Listen, if you're that uncomfortable with the whole thing, we can switch seats. That way you can still be near them, but not terribly close. I won't mind being next to them."

Ruby looked up at her, and for a second looked as though she might take Weiss's offer.

But she shook her head.

"No... I wanna do this! I wanna be brave and s-say hi to someone new! I mean, I'm sure they're gonna be nervous about everything too, right?" She made a triumphant fist, pretending it was not shaking as she presented her partner with a small smile. "But thanks, Weiss. I know you're just looking out for me, but I'll be okay this time!"

"Alright..." Weiss sat back in her seat. "But if you change your mind, just let me know and we can switch."

"Okay," Ruby nodded.

Students continued to file into the classroom for several more moments as the professor prepared the lecture for the day.

But there was a tangible shift in the atmosphere then, and several murmurs went up, indicating the new students had arrived.

There were three of them for this class – two girls and a boy – and they all went down the aisles to the professor's desk to greet him.

Ruby got a good look at all of them, recognizing the girl with light-green hair she had seen yesterday in the hallway, only now she wore the standard uniform. That girl had smiled kindly back at her, and Ruby prayed the empty seat beside her would go to her.

When the professor directed her toward Ruby's row, it was clear that was the case, and the brunette felt a bit of a bubbling in her stomach.

Weiss noticed who was being sent to sit beside her partner as well, and she did not know how to feel about it. She was unsure of whether she liked the fact that it was a girl sitting with Ruby. As far as she was concerned, boys were either brainless barbarians or brazen brutes, and girls were either ditzy airheads or cunning tramps.

Well, at least that was how Weiss viewed strangers, until they proved themselves otherwise.

Perhaps a girl would be easier for Ruby to communicate with, at least.

Weiss nudged her partner, her final silent inquiry as to what it was she wanted to do. But Ruby gave a small shake of her head, indicating she wanted to stay in her current seat.

Weiss nodded, accepting her decision before directing her gaze to the new arrival.

She seemed... awfully confident with herself, holding her head high as if she owned the place. It irked Weiss a bit, but she kept her comments to herself as the girl took her seat beside Ruby, though she still kept a wary eye on her.

Ruby was a mess, hands clasped together in her lap and fingers fumbling with her skirt as she cast nervous glances at the girl. _I-Is this a good time to talk to her and say hi? Did I miss the right timing?! Oh, god..._

"Hello."

"Eep!" Ruby jumped, and Weiss quickly whipped her head to the side to see what was amiss. But it was just a great overreaction on Ruby's part; the new girl had spoken.

"Sorry...?" Emerald said uncertainly. _Geez, what's up with this kid?_

"Oh! No no no no, it's fine, it's _totally_ fine!" Ruby peeped. "I just was trying to think of when to say hi and then you caught me off guard when you said it first and uh... h-hi..." She lowered her head in silent apology for the small disturbance she had caused.

Emerald blinked her dark red eyes at her, not sure what to make of this girl. _Ugh. But I have to make a good first impression on her. How the hell do I do this...?_

"Well..." She dragged the word, and Ruby gulped. "My name's Emerald. What's yours?"

The brunette perked up instantly.

"Ruby! Ruby Rose! It's nice to meet you, Emerald!"

"Y... Yeah. Sure," she grimaced.

Watching the scene, Weiss could not tell if the new girl was nervous, or if it was something else about her that threw the heiress off. Either way, Ruby was happy, and Weiss let it slide, directing her attention back to the front of the room.

"S-So!" Ruby continued in a hyperactive stammer. "So like um, i-if you need a tour around the school or something, I could help you out!"

"They gave us a tour yesterday, actually." _I don't need your help._

"O-Oh, right... W-Well if you need help with any of the lessons, just ask me!"

"I think I'll be fine..." _What could _you_ possibly teach me that I don't already know?_

"I... I see..." Ruby felt she might cry.

Emerald froze, realizing she would fail her mission at this rate. As much as she knew this was going to be annoying as all hell, she cleared her throat and spoke up.

"But... I don't really know where the cafe is. Maybe you could show me sometime...?" Just _something_. She just needed this girl to trust her for a while.

That clearly would not be too difficult.

Ruby straightened up instantly, a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"Yes-Yes of course! I can go anytime! Oh, just not after classes this week cause um we... kinda got detention for something ahaha. B-But next week for sure-"

"Ruby." Said girl turned around when her partner spoke her name. Weiss met her eyes and spoke patiently. "If you want to go with her, then go. I'll tell Professor Goodwitch you're helping one of the new transfer students. I'm sure she'd be delighted to hear that. Just Yang, Blake and I are more than enough to clean up the cafeteria, and I'm sure she'd rather have you do that. If you want to." She made sure to give Ruby the option to refuse if she wanted to; the last thing Weiss wanted to do was force her to go along with this.

"Weiss..." Ruby looked to her a bit nervously. This meant she would be alone with Emerald... She knew full-well that Weiss was giving her the opportunity to make new friends, but also was not _forcing_ her to; she wanted Ruby to make whatever decision she felt most comfortable with. "Then..." she mumbled. "If you could... tell Professor Goodwitch... that'd be great, Weiss."

Weiss held her gaze, silently asking her if she was really okay with this. Ruby felt a prickle of warmth at her partner's concern, but she had made up her mind. She nodded and smiled.

"Alright." Weiss agreed before lowering her voice to a whisper so that only Ruby could hear. "Just keep your scroll on you, and if you need me for any reason, I'll get to you."

"Mmhm," she murmured. "Thanks, Weiss."

A slight huff from Emerald reminded Ruby of her presence, and she quickly spun back around. "Oh, right! Let me introduce you!" She slid to one side to present her partner. "Emerald, this is Weiss! She's my partner!"

The heiress dipped her head in greeting, giving nothing away in her expression as she met the new girl's eyes.

"Welcome to Beacon," she said with a smile that she had perfected over the years, one that was impossible to tell whether it was genuine or not.

Emerald felt the corner of her lip curl up into a faint snarl, but it was almost undetectable.

"It's good to be here," she said sweetly.

Their gazes held as they tried to read one another, neither giving so much as an inch.

Weiss tried a different method instead.

"So, what brings you here, anyway? Are you just here for the tournament? Why Beacon of all places?" She would make her judgements based on the girl's answers.

Emerald narrowed her eyes, honestly caught off guard by the question. _That's none of your damn business-_ she wanted to snap.

"Well..."

But before she could say any more, the professor called for attention. Ruby quickly looked to the front of the room.

"Oh! Class is starting! Let's talk more later, okay?" She slid back into place between the two girls-

-but not before their eyes met one last time, hard and indifferent.

* * *

"Ugh!" Emerald knocked her fist against the wall of their dorm room. "What a passive-aggressive bitch! I mean, _god!_"

She had been pacing the room for ten minutes that evening as Mercury sat on his bed languidly, flipping through a comic book. So far, they had been put in a room together with no other students, therefore Emerald had deemed it safe to be able to talk aloud about their private matters.

Damn good thing too, because she had a hell of a lot to say.

Mercury looked up from the comic with feigned interest.

"Are you still going on about the Schnee girl?"

"Yes!" she spat. "But god, you should've _seen_ her this morning! The way she was talking to me. What a snide little shit. Let me tell you, the second the little red _moron_ spilled the beans about her being the Schnee heiress, I almost jumped for joy. I can't tell you how happy it makes me in knowing the White Fang are ruining her family business a little more each day and _we're_ a part of that," she said proudly.

"That's great," he said, clearly uninterested. "But the most important part is that you talked to the leader, right? Do you think she trusts you?"

"Hell if I know," she growled. "It's only been one day, and with the way that _bitch_ kept talking to me, she might've gotten her suspicious." She punched the wall again before unclenching her fist. "But I did get the little one to talk a bit. It was hard not to _strangle_ her though, I'll tell you that. Every damn time I opened my mouth, all she did was stutter back or talk rapid-fire. So annoying. I can't wait to-"

"That won't be for a while yet," he cut her off. "So for now, just stay focused. And don't forget to report to Cinder."

"I _know,_" she snapped, pulling her scroll from her pocket.

She loved calling Cinder, but loved it even _more_ when the woman answered. Sometimes she was busy, but it was clear this evening that she had set aside time to speak with Emerald specifically.

Seeing her projection on-screen and hearing her voice was wonderful after suffering an entire day at Beacon Academy. She stayed professional as she spoke with Cinder, delighted when the woman seemed proud of them for finding the red-cloaked girl already.

"Just stick to the plan and all will go perfectly," Cinder promised. "I know these things may take some time, but the sooner the better. Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Red lips curved into a smile. "That's my girl. You're doing so well already, so as you're going about the mission, do have some fun with those girls."

"Really?" It was an unexpected invitation, but not unwelcome in the slightest, and definitely not one she was foolish enough to refuse. "Thank you, Cinder."

"Of course, child." With that, the call was ended.

That was probably one of Emerald's favorite things about working under Cinder's wing; she let Emerald play with her food first before going in for the kill.

And her prey, the girl with the red cloak – _Ruby_ – she was young, naïve, impressionable, trusting, eager for friendship and acceptance.

Emerald could hardly wait to coax her onto her back, have her expose her belly-

-and then lunge at her throat.

With the compromising thought in mind, she decided to retire for the night, eager to meet up with her unsuspecting target again tomorrow.

* * *

Weiss, Blake, and Yang had finished up their detention work in the cafeteria.

Weiss had been correct in guessing Glynda would approve of Ruby skipping in exchange for helping out a new student. The heiress had taken a bit of solace in the fact that Glynda had gone to confirm Ruby was where she should be and with whom she said she was with – that way, Weiss knew the professor had seen her leader and knew she was alright.

But Ruby was late in coming back to the room, and Weiss was starting to grow worried as she stared at her scroll. When the click finally came at the door, she looked up sharply, relieved to see her partner walk in.

"Sorry I'm late!" Ruby said. "We ended up talking a lot."

"Aw, your new friend?" Yang asked - Weiss had told the others where Ruby was.

Ruby stammered in response. "I-I don't think we're close enough to be called friends yet..."

"Oooh, I'm so proud of yoooou~!"

"Yang, no don't-!" But she was hoisted up into a crushing hug, groaning and struggling against her sister's grip.

"Easy, Yang," Blake chuckled.

The blonde hummed and set Ruby down, receiving a headbutt to the chin in retaliation.

"Either way," Weiss spoke up. "I hope she didn't cause you any trouble."

"Who, Emerald?" Ruby asked. Weiss winced when she said the girl's name so familiarly. But Ruby shook her head. "No, not at all! Well, she was a bit awkward with talking, but so was I! We're kinda the same in that sense, heehee."

"Geez, Weiss." Yang rolled her eyes at the heiress as she rubbed her sore chin. "Why do you gotta be suspicious of everyone?"

"I'm not suspicious of her!"

"Really now?"

"Oh, hush. She's just done nothing to prove herself to me yet..."

"_Prove_ herself?" Yang parroted. "So she's gotta prove herself before you can let her be friends with my sister?"

"You know what I mean."

"Alright." Again, Blake interjected them. "Let's just call it a night, you guys."

Yang simply shrugged and climbed up to her bed, leaving Weiss sitting on hers, a bit miffed. Ruby noticed – of course she did, she _always_ did – and crawled up next to her partner.

"It's okay, Weiss!" she beamed. "Like I said, I was nervous and she was nervous and it was a little weird for a while, but we got past that! I think if I just talk to her whenever I can, we can become friends!" She leaned into Weiss's side. "But thanks for worrying about me. It's... kinda nice to know you're looking out for me like that."

"...Yeah, yeah," Weiss sighed. "I'm sorry I'm being paranoid about this. Don't let me spoil your chances at making new friends. Just..." She bit her lip. "If she ever makes you feel uncomfortable or something, just get out of there."

"Okay." Ruby reached for Weiss's hand, curling her pinky around her partner's. "I will, Weiss. Promise."

That admittedly made the heiress feel better.

"Good. Now let's get to bed. Every day is one closer to the tournament and we need all the sleep we can get."

"Right!"

With a salute, Ruby climbed up onto her bed.

Once she was up, Weiss turned off the light and murmured goodnights to the others before curling beneath her blankets.

She would do her best to let Ruby be, even if it meant Weiss felt that stifling prickle in her chest.

* * *

**A/N: I know this isn't what's gonna happen in the canon so please don't eat me, thanks. It's fun to write new characters like Emerald and Cinder, even if I don't end up getting their characters down pat.**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright! Time for the good stuff!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 2.

From then on, whenever they had their class together with Emerald, Weiss kept an eye on Ruby.

Her partner talked more with Emerald every day before and after that particular lecture, and it was often difficult for Weiss not to interfere. She needed to remind herself that this was good for Ruby, that this was what she wanted and Weiss needed to respect her choice.

The girl still spent more than enough time with her team every day, but when she was talking to Emerald before class, it sometimes felt like she forgot about the rest of them. Weiss felt as though she was watching the girl from afar when in fact she was only a seat away.

Whenever Ruby included her in conversations with Emerald, Weiss's responses were always short and clipped, not because of Ruby, but because of the other person involved.

She knew full-well she was overreacting, but she could not stop herself from the tart reactions whenever Emerald was around. Weiss tried to be better around her, for Ruby's sake, but she found it was impossible. There was just something about the new girl Weiss did not like, and she did not think it was possible to pinpoint what it was exactly.

Weiss felt awful for always coming off as harsh around Ruby's new friend, so she opted to stop interacting with her altogether.

And Emerald was _living it up._

She _loved_ the way the Schnee heiress got that dismayed look in her eyes whenever Emerald sat down beside her precious partner. Every day, she got a bit closer to the little fool, and she could see that every day it tore the heiress up inside a bit more.

Emerald wanted nothing more than to see her come apart at the seams; Cinder had told her to have fun, after all. The best way to do that would be to tear the team apart from the inside out, and she needed to start at the center, the heart - the leader.

Ruby was the one that had tried to thwart one of Cinder's heists a while back, and the woman had given Emerald her description specifically so she could find her.

Of course, the fact that the Schnee heiress was her partner only made things all the better; how much Dust would Daddy hand over to get his daughter back, she wondered?

She intended to find out.

And the girl with the bow – she could easily hide a pair of ears beneath it. She fit the description some of the White Fang members had relayed to Cinder, and she had ordered Emerald to take care of her as well when the time came.

So while they were at it, why not kill the blonde one, too?

God, she could hardly wait.

But she was not quite finished toying with them yet; she wanted to see the heiress cry at least once first.

So she made sure to rub her new friendship with Ruby in the white-haired girl's face more and more every day, letting out the most sickeningly sweet laughter at all of the young brunette's jokes, making sure to invite her to get something to eat after class. She even went so far as to sling an arm around Ruby's shoulders on occasion, soaking up Weiss's reaction every time, and every time, it only made Emerald's smile widen.

She was eager to kill the little one, but she wanted to drag out the heiress's torture as long as possible; she wanted make her suffer.

Presently, Emerald giggled merrily and slipped an arm around Ruby's shoulders. "So, instead of the usual meet-up at the cafe today Ruby, how about this afternoon we go out to Vale?"

The girl looked up at her, surprised. She cast a glance to Weiss, and Emerald took note of how she constantly turned to her partner for permission on most things first.

"Really? Um, but I'm not sure. It's a school night..." Ruby said a little doubtfully. She caught Weiss's eye, and the heiress was a bit relieved that she was denying the request.

But Emerald persisted.

"Oh, come on. We'll just grab a bite to eat! But..." She took her arm away from Ruby and put on the dejected face she had been working on for the past few days. "I guess I understand if you don't want to go with me..."

It worked like a charm.

Ruby instantly straightened up, eyes wide as she flailed her arms and hands.

"N-No, that's not it! I _do_ wanna go with you, Emmy!"

There it was.

The cherry on top.

Her _nickname_.

Emerald's gut twisted in disgust every time Ruby said it, and yet it was _hilarious_. The brat was falling for this friendship trap so easily it was comical.

She made her eyes water as she looked up at Ruby, twiddling her fingers.

"Really? You do?"

"Of course I do!" Ruby nodded quickly. "It's just... maybe next time? I kinda wanna spend the afternoon with my team."

Emerald almost scoffed, but a very unexpected ally then appeared.

"It's alright, Ruby." Weiss spoke up, looking over at her with a subdued expression. "You can go. You do more than enough with us all the time. This'll be nice for you to do something new. It's fine to go with her if you want to."

Emerald noted how the girl always gave the "if you want to" option, as if Ruby might _not_ want to go with her. Emerald was new and exciting and intriguing to Ruby, nothing like the stuffy, prissy princess. Ruby was naturally drawn to her, and Emerald knew it.

She watch with an amused smirk as Ruby addressed her partner.

"Weiss, are you sure?" She lowered her voice so only Weiss could hear. "I... I don't wanna keep leaving you guys. I still wanna be with you."

"I know, Ruby." Weiss smiled softly. "And you're doing just fine. But if you want to take a day off and get away for an hour or two, that's fine."

_I__t's for her own good._ Weiss reminded herself. _She deserves a break from all the responsibilities. She needs a break from us._

"It's fine, Ruby. Really."

The brunette's eyes lit up, and a pang went through Weiss's chest to see her so eager to leave, despite how fervently she told herself this was with Ruby's best interest in mind.

"Thank you, Weiss!" She leaned sideways and hugged her briefly. Weiss wanted to return it – badly – but a daring look from Emerald made her recoil. Weiss hardly felt good enough for Ruby anymore. She could not make her smile the same way this girl did.

Weiss looked away until Ruby let her go.

"Just..." she sighed. "Make sure you-"

"Have my scroll and I'll call if _anything_ happens," Ruby recited. "I promise, Weiss."

The older girl simply nodded.

Emerald was feeling too superior not to sprinkle salt in the wounds.

"Oh thanks, Weiss! We're gonna have _so_ much fun! Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."

All the heiress could manage was a low huff.

"You'd better..."

Because Weiss did not know if she herself could.

* * *

Once Ruby had been whisked away by the new girl after classes, Weiss trudged back to the room and sat heavily on her bed, burying her face in her hands.

Yang and Blake were already there, and they shared a concerned glance before the latter closed her book and went to the heiress's side, sitting quietly.

"Weiss... are you okay? Is this about Ruby and Emerald?"

"Of course it is," she snapped, though she hardly meant to. Weiss realized her unnecessary harshness and recoiled. "Sorry. I'm just... so frustrated for some reason."

"It's understandable," Blake agreed softly. "I don't want to say she took Ruby from you, but... it kinda seems you feel that way. She's your partner, after all."

"You know what it is." Yang made her way over and plopped down infinitely more unceremoniously than her partner had at Weiss's other side, making the bed shake. "The princess is jealous."

The white-haired girl instantly brought her hands away from her face to glare at her.

"Excuse me? Why would I be-"

"Weiss, c'mon. You're being _way_ too obvious."

"Yang." Blake sent her partner a warning look. _Can't you be a little more sensitive?_

"It's not jealousy," Weiss declared surely. "I just... don't like that girl."

"Weiss," Yang sighed. "In the beginning, it kinda felt like you took Ruby away from _me_ a little bit. I mean of course I still get to be with her every day and that's awesome, but she started clinging to you a lot more in addition to me, when it used to be _just_ me." As she spoke, her voice got a bit softer. "You can't just hate a person because you're a little jealous, so you shouldn't hate Emerald just because it feels like she's taking Ruby from you a little."

"Quiet! That's not the only reason she irks me."

"_Only?_ So that _is_ still a reason, though?"

"Listen, you-"

"You guys..." Again, Blake interjected, gaining their attention. "Please. This is a bit strange for all of us." She turned to the heiress. "Weiss, I think you should talk to Ruby when she comes back. Just tell her how you're feeling about all of this."

"And make her feel guilty about trying to make new friends?" she challenged. "We may be her teammates, but we shouldn't be limiting her. We should be supporting her. I'm just finding it difficult when the person in question is that new girl."

Yang bumped her shoulder into Weiss's.

"Just give it a bit more time. I'm glad you're trying to look out for Ruby's best interests, but your feelings matter too, princess. Don't forget that."

Weiss said nothing as they left her to cross the room and start on their assignments.

Weiss mulled through her work as well, glancing at the clock every minute, and growing increasingly more anxious every second Ruby did not knock on the door. Blake noticed her teammate's discomfort and went to Weiss again, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Just talk to her when she comes back, okay?"

Weiss nodded.

But Blake was not sure if she should be relieved that Weiss was going to confront her partner, or worried that the heiress had given in so easily. Yet, the Faunus girl was glad that Weiss intended to say _something_, as she had been starting to look a bit depressed the past few days.

About an hour later, they had changed into their sleepwear and finished their work, and Weiss sat on her bed with her scroll in her lap, conflicted about whether she should call Ruby or hold off for fear of disturbing her. Yang shook her head as she watched the girl chew her lip.

"Weiss, it's _oh-kay._ If she's not back within half an hour, I'll go get her myself."

But luckily, they did not have to wait that long.

A few minutes later, the door clicked and opened, and Ruby skipped in.

"Hi, guys! Sorry I'm a little late."

Weiss was hounding her instantly, pushing her scroll aside and jumping out of bed.

"Why did you take so long? You should've called if you knew you were going to be late! We were worried."

Yang put a knuckle to her mouth and mumbled, "_We?_"

"I'm really sorry!" Ruby said, though she was still smiling. "It's just that Emmy and I lost track of time talking and... Weiss?" She walked up to her partner, but Weiss took a step back, avoiding her eyes. "What's the matter?"

"No, it's nothing. Just... get to bed, alright?" She turned away and took her own advice, laying down with her back to them.

Blake watched her in concern; it was clear that Ruby's calling of Emerald by such an intimate nickname had been the final blow to Weiss's confidence about her position as Ruby's partner.

Ruby met Blake's gaze, and the Faunus girl could tell she was puzzled. Blake was about to usher the younger girl over and explain things to her, but she remembered what Weiss had said earlier; the heiress was trying very hard to let Ruby keep this new friendship. If Blake told her how Weiss was feeling about it, the heiress's efforts would have all been in vain if Ruby cut ties with Emerald for the sake of her partner and team.

Blake felt she could imagine the rock and hard place Weiss was wedged between now, and she dropped Ruby's gaze as her leader went off to change.

Perhaps it would be best to take Yang's advice and just give things a few more days...

* * *

Finally.

It was _finally_ time to go through with the plan Emerald had been working on for the past two weeks.

She had reported to Cinder the night before, saying she had Ruby Rose right where she wanted her.

And Cinder had been thrilled and so proud of her; Emerald had moved things along much quicker than the woman had expected.

The praise Cinder had given her last evening coursed through Emerald's body now as she made for the designated spot, Mercury at her side. They were heading toward an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Vale.

The plan was fairly simple; send a distress call to Ruby, asking her to come alone and then kill her.

Then, the other three would come looking for her, in their panic likely neglecting to alert the school's staff. She and Mercury could kill the assumed ex-White Fang member and her partner, and take the Schnee heiress hostage for ransom – or just kill her too, if Emerald got any say in it.

The two of them wore their usual attire now, having shed their Beacon uniforms; after tonight, they would not be needing them anymore anyway.

"This is going to be so great," Emerald said with a smile. "I mean ugh, how _long_ has it been since we last saw some action? Since we saw some blood?"

"I think that puma guy at the bookstore was the last one," Mercury reminded her.

"God, that was forever ago. But tonight..." She paused as they reached the warehouse. "Tonight we get to compensate. Times four."

"Well, only if the other three show up tonight," he shrugged. "They might wait until tomorrow to look for the squirt, or it might take them a while to find her. But you'll get at least one tonight."

"Yeah, and good thing, too," she growled. "I've had it up to here with that little brat." She made a slicing motion across her throat. "I'm just glad in knowing tonight'll be the last time I have to hear that annoying little voice of hers. Forever."

"When are you gonna send the message?" Mercury wondered.

She smirked.

"Right now."

* * *

They had been on their way back to the dorm room when Blake's ears caught the sound of a scroll vibrating.

She paused and looked back to her leader. "Ruby? Is that yours?"

"Uh, yeah! But who could it be? We're all right here... Gimme a sec and I'll go take it." She pulled out her scroll and dashed off around a corner where she would be able to hear better.

The other three watched her go, and once the end of her red cape was out of sight, Weiss sighed heavily. She knew who had called.

"Weiss..." Yang placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is getting ridiculous. Just talk to her."

"You think I haven't tried?" she mumbled. "I just don't feel she wants to be around me so much anymore."

"Weiss, come on. Be serious." The blonde looked her in the eye. "Ruby's your partner. She's our leader and my little sister. You know she's a great girl and she loves us more than anything. She'd never get tired of you, and you know it's true. That's just _you_ thinking that. No one else feels that way." She knew it sounded a little harsh, but it was the truth, and Weiss needed to hear it.

Yang thought the heiress was starting to believe her words until Ruby came back in a fluster.

"Ruby?" Blake noticed her first. "What is it?"

"Ahhh I'm really sorry, you guys." She clasped her hands together. "Emmy just called and she wants to meet me somewhere! She's already there and gaaah I don't wanna leave her hanging."

Yang winced as she realized Weiss had already turned away from her sister.

"Err yeah, go on, sis." She waved Ruby off. "Just get back ASAP, okay?" Maybe it would be best to talk to Weiss alone again and then settle things when Ruby got back. A glance to her partner told Yang that Blake felt the same.

"Ah, okay!" Ruby said quickly. "I'm sorry, but I'll be back as soon as I can, you guys! I gotta catch a Ship!" And with that statement, she took off down the hall, heading toward an exit.

Blake and Yang went quietly to Weiss, encouraging her to follow them back to the dorm room.

Weiss bit her lip. She always felt uneasy when Ruby went off alone, especially if it was with the intent to be with Emerald.

But this time that uneasiness was bringing a bile up her throat.

* * *

Ruby utilized her semblance to her full advantage to catch an Air Ship and then make her way to the place Emerald had shown her a few nights ago on one of their evenings out.

It was an old building, one Emerald had shown interest in for the architecture, and Ruby could see where she had been coming from; she loved anything involved with building things, after all.

In her call to Ruby just a short while ago, Emerald had said she wanted Ruby to come meet her there to discuss something with her, denying Ruby's frantic offers to get help. Emerald was not in danger – she merely wanted to meet with Ruby for a while.

So the girl had left Crescent Rose behind; she was able to move a bit faster without it through Vale as she made for the old building now. It was not far from town, and with her semblance, it was only another minute or so before she arrived at the entrance.

But there was no one else in sight.

"Emmy?" she called out.

There was no reply.

"Maybe she's inside..." Ruby went to the door of the old building and knocked. "Emmy? Are you in there?"

When there was no answer, Ruby felt a bubble of confusion rise up in her stomach. She tried the door, not too baffled to find it opened easily, probably long-since rusted over. She stepped in.

It was dark inside, the only light being provided from the moon, casting a splash of white down from a break in the rafters. Dust sprinkled the air, and Ruby was momentarily lost in the mysterious air of the place.

"Hey, Emmy! Are you in here?" she wondered aloud, hearing her voice overlap on itself.

Silence.

And then-

"Ruby!" A voice called out sweetly.

Said girl turned around, silver eyes lighting up as her lips curved into a smile when her gaze met crimson.

"Emmy! What did you wanna-" Her smile fell. Something felt off- "Emmy-?"

The next thing she knew, a powerful impact plowed into her like a bull, pinning her up against the wall, her feet off the ground.

"E-Emmy..." She choked, tears already dripping as her body shook.

Two cold blades pressed against her throat, and Emerald's eyes were the color of the blood she clearly hoped to see tonight, her smile ravenous and borderline psychotic with the thought of it.

"_So_ good to see you, Ruby."

* * *

"Weiss, what are you doing?" Yang called across the room.

The heiress had swiftly emerged from the bathroom, dressed in her combat skirt, heading instantly toward the door, not stopping for a second as she answered the blonde.

"I've just got to go there. I've _got to_." She did not explain any more than that, nor did she give Blake and Yang a chance to follow her.

If she had learned anything since becoming a part of team RWBY, it was that acting on emotion was not always a bad thing. There was no logic or ration behind this feeling - she had no idea where it was coming from, but she knew she needed to act on it.

She dashed through the halls on her way to her storage locker, typed in the code faster than she could blink and grabbed Myrtenaster before making for the exit.

She bolted for the docks, but not to catch an Air Ship; the last one had just left, the one that had taken Ruby. And besides, one of those contraptions would travel far too slowly.

She reached the edge of the cliff and leapt high into the air, casting a glyph just beneath her boots. She shot herself forward, thousands of feet in the air, the sunset dyeing the clouds red.

Glyph after glyph, leap after leap, Weiss propelled herself toward Vale, the wind whipping past her face, hair snapping behind her. She never let up for a second, and after nearly ten minutes of this continuous process, Weiss remembered to breathe.

She could see the Air Ship far ahead, the one Ruby had boarded. It had just docked at Vale, and Weiss pushed herself harder.

But by the time she reached solid ground again, gasping for air, her partner was already gone.

As she caught her breath, she could make out several scattered red petals drifting about in the wind, but they had been too disturbed to form any significant path. Ruby had used her semblance, which meant she was already far ahead of Weiss.

The heiress had yet to catch her breath, but she started running again regardless, heart hammering against her ribs as she followed her instincts.

More Dust, more glyphs, more energy. She used them all as she shot forward through the city that seemed to bleed red light.

_Please let me be mistaken... And if not... let me be in time..._

* * *

She laughed at the sound Ruby made.

It was pathetic.

Utterly pathetic.

She wanted to both finish her off quickly and drag it out. Cinder _did_ say she could have some fun, Emerald reminded herself, so why not play with her food? Like Mercury said, it would likely be a while yet before the rest of them came out looking for her.

Ruby was already crying, whimpering beneath her weight as Emerald shoved her higher up the wall, increasing the pressure on her throat. Ruby cried out in pain.

"E-Emmy-!" she wailed. "W-What's guh-going... on? Why are you... doing this...?"

Emerald laughed again.

"Oh, come on. You _honestly_ can't figure it out, even now? What, you think I'm being _forced_ to fight against you? You think I'm being threatened or blackmailed?" she guessed. "No. This is an order and a choice, kid. And you made it _waaay_ too much fun. So as thanks for that, I'll let you live a little bit longer."

What was the fun in killing her off now? She wanted to see her cry more, see her face turn red then blue then stark white. She wanted to watch the light drain from her eyes, feel her breath stop, taste her suffering.

It was not her usual method of killing, but this girl was different from the traitors she often had to deal with in less than a minute. She could drag this out.

Feeling Ruby weakening, Emerald loosened her hold a bit, letting her breathe again now so she could crush the breath out of her again in a few seconds. She scraped her blades over the girl's throat, hearing the terrified gasp as blood oozed down. She let Ruby's aura heal the cut before making a new one, going a little deeper each time.

"E-E-Emmy puh-please... please d-don't do this, I... I thought you were my-"

"_Ugh_, don't say it," she snarled into her face. "You're such a fucking idiot, I swear. Pull that friendship crap on me and I won't be so nice with finishing you off."

She cut her again, watching the blood drizzle over the sharp blade as the girl's throat contorted.

"E-Em... my..."

"_Don't_-" she shoved into Ruby again, earning another cry of pain. "Don't call me that."

The previous cut on Ruby's throat had finally healed, and the next one would take much, much longer. Emerald chuckled as she re-positioned the blade against soft flesh, sliding it-

-and then her back slammed against the opposite wall of the building.

"Augh-!" A furious scream ripped from her throat as she collided with the hard metal wall. "What the-"

She had hardly gotten the chance to open her eyes after the impact before she had been pinned against the hard surface a dozen feet up, intense cold shooting through her body.

Ice.

"You can't be fucking serious..." she growled.

But sure enough, it was exactly who she thought it was. "Just _perfect_..."

* * *

Ruby made a strangled sound just as the pressure was removed from her chest.

She collapsed the second her captor was dislodged, but she never hit the ground.

Instead, a pair of soft arms supported her, lowering her gently into an even softer lap. Ruby blinked her eyes open, gasping. Silver met with blue, and she whimpered with the utmost relief.

Weiss was here.

Weiss was holding her now.

Weiss was shaking too as she pressed a hand to Ruby's throat and healed her wound with her aura.

Ruby could see everything in her partner's eyes.

Weiss was scared for her, Weiss was relieved she was okay-

-and Weiss was _pissed_.

The heiress let out a trembling breath as she brushed a hand over Ruby's forehead, clearing her sweat-soaked bangs away so she may see her eyes. Ruby was shaking uncontrollably, and her lips parted to let slip little pants of air.

"W-Weiss..."

"Shh..." Weiss watched the cut on her leader's throat heal in full before she pulled away. "It's alright, Ruby. I'm sorry it took me so long. I'm sorry. You must've been so scared. I'm _sorry_..." She bowed her head remorsefully, terrified of the thoughts of what Ruby must have been through, what might have happened if Weiss had arrived a second later.

Ruby found the heiress's hand and squeezed tightly, trying to convey that Weiss was not at fault.

But the words and apologies could wait for later.

Now was a time for action.

Normally, Weiss would try to get Ruby to safety, to have them escape above all else.

But what this Emerald girl had done was unforgivable, and Weiss needed some form of vengeance.

She propped Ruby up against the wall, wrapping the girl snugly in her own cloak as Weiss vowed one last thing to her:

"_I promise I won't let her hurt you anymore._"

A deafening crack of ice alerted her back to her adversary. Emerald had sliced herself free and dropped to the ground in a crouch, eyeing Weiss with cold hatred.

"Now, now, Schnee..." she growled, rising to her feet. "You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep."

Weiss squared her shoulders, raised her rapier, and snarled back defiantly:

"I haven't."

Emerald smirked devilishly.

"We'll see about that."

She shot forward in a burst of speed, and Weiss could instantly tell she was aiming for Ruby. Weiss swiftly intercepted her, blocking both blades at once with Myrtenaster. Her opponent was just feet away from her now, and Weiss could taste her ironlike scent on the roof of her mouth; she smelled naturally of blood that was not her own.

Emerald pushed her full weight against Weiss, easily sending her back a step. "Not bad, Schnee. Let's see how long you can hold out." She leapt back half a dozen feet and took her position, aimed to jump forward again.

Likewise, the heiress took up a defensive stance in front of her partner, shielding Ruby completely with her own body. She took a few steps forward, simply trying to keep the fight as far from Ruby as possible without leaving her wide open. The girl whimpered out her name, but Weiss could not afford to turn back or answer.

Instead, she focused on the source of her bane, eager to fight her off but also poised and level-headed enough to wait for her to attack first.

Emerald did not mind being the first to make a move. She charged, leaping high into the air, and Weiss quickly followed, not intending to let her get the chance to throw a knife at Ruby from above. Using her glyphs, the heiress easily reached her adversary's height, matching Emerald move for move as she darted off walls or dashed across the ground.

The battle took every ounce of Weiss's attention and already-limited energy, deflecting and parrying the other girl's dual blades with her rapier on top of going through the hand motions to cast her spells.

Each time metal clanged against metal, each of them could feel her opponent's strength and rage behind the hits.

But it was clear to both of them that the heiress was in a weakened state after the journey here. She could see it in Emerald's smug expression that she knew, and Weiss was not about to let her take advantage.

Between grunts of effort and impossibly fast movements of their weapons, Weiss managed to cast a glyph just inches away from Emerald's feet. The second the girl stepped on it, it was already too late, and Weiss propelled her across the building once more, slamming her into the far wall.

She knew she should have used her ice again now, but her vision was blurring and she could not manage another use of her Dust right at the time, fearing her aim would be off and it would go to waste.

Instead, she turned back to Ruby, concentrating as she formed repulsion glyphs around her in a sort of barrier.

She only had enough time to cast two of them, however, before a concussive impact rammed into her torso from behind. Weiss hit the wall, only barely managing to keep her hold on Myrtenaster's hilt. She could see that Emerald was furious, and Weiss found it almost comical.

She must have smirked a bit as she dropped back down to her feet, as the other shouted rage-fully at her.

"What's so funny? You _really_ think you can beat me? Even in your _best_ condition you'd be no match for me, but look at you now."

Weiss actually laughed out loud at that.

It only served to make Emerald more furious.

"Shut the fuck up!"

"That's cute," Weiss purred. "You say I'd be no match for you even when I'm in top form. Well, let me tell you something. I just ran here all the way from Beacon on my own accord, used more than half of my Dust, a good deal of my aura, and a fair chunk of my energy. And still, I was able to take out your companion outside in less than half a minute, and even _after_ all of that, you haven't made so much as a scratch on me. So you tell _me_ who wouldn't be a match for whom even in their _best condition._"

Emerald scoffed.

"Yeah right, you got here from Beacon on your own." But only then did the things the other girl mentioned really sink in. "Wait, you're here alone? What about the other two?"

"What about them?" Weiss snapped. "I left before they could stop me."

"Are you kidding me...?" Emerald's lip curled into a snarl. "So that means... you took out Mercury on your own?"

"And I've still got _plenty_ of ways to do the same to you."

She did not waste another second. Weiss charged forward, empowered by adrenaline, using her Dust this time as she fired a round of red flames toward her baffled opponent.

Emerald made the dodge just in time, but not entirely. A flame had licked at her leg briefly, and she hissed as she activated her aura to tend to it.

Not about to leave Ruby in a burning building, Weiss quickly rotated the chambers of Dust on her weapon and doused the fire with a round of ice that quickly melted in the heat to extinguish it. Weiss spun instantly, kicking up a circle of air to send the water directly into Emerald's face, momentarily blinding her.

The girl yowled out another curse and instinctively raised her arms and her blades, but Weiss easily evaded them. She cast her glyphs, aimed the tip of her rapier at the ground, and pulled the trigger.

A massive wave of ice rose up before her and materialized along the glyphs, of which her enemy was standing directly in the path of. Emerald jumped a second too late, and the ice caught her, throwing her backward and encasing her against the wall once more.

Weiss ran along the path of the element easily, with a stride that had been conditioned over the years not to slip or stagger. She could finish this girl right now and put an end to so many things – Ruby's fear, her own rage, future issues...

But Weiss stopped before she could make contact with her now nearly-helpless opponent.

Emerald had been frozen over entirely, save for her head and left arm. The right was unable to be moved, blade and all, but she was thrashing like a fish in a net, and Weiss could tell it was not because she was frantic for her life.

No, she was looking for something.

The heiress made out the shine of metal in the moonlight, resting on top of the ice just feet away from the both of them, except _she_ was the only one who could reach it. It was one of Emerald's weapons, and she was clearly desperate to get it back.

Weiss paused just in front of it, and the girl spotted her blade just as the heiress pressed her foot lightly onto it. Crimson eyes narrowed in fury before going wide in shock.

"No-!" She struggled against the ice that bound her. "Don't you dare break it,_ don't you fucking dare!_"

"Break it?" Weiss echoed, interested. "Now there's an idea." This girl clearly had an attachment to this, much like Ruby did to Crescent Rose.

Emerald jolted as Weiss put more weight onto the blade, and the ice beneath it cracked; if she wanted to, Weiss could easily shatter it to pieces with her rapier. That possibility clearly frightened the owner of the blade.

"_NO!_" Emerald barked, equal parts angry and afraid. "Don't you _dare! _Cinder gave that to me!" She would rather _die_ than have Cinder be mad at her.

But she knew Weiss would not kill her – she was far too soft.

At this point, breaking her blade and sparing her life might be a fate worse than death to Emerald, and Weiss was well-aware of this. But shattering the girl's weapon might send her into a fit of rage all over again, and Weiss could not afford to let that happen.

Cautiously, she bent down to pick up the blade, holding it up to Emerald. The green-haired girl was torn between shouting and pleading at her.

"I _swear_ to god-"

"_If-_" Weiss cut her off loudly. "I leave this in-tact, you will take your companion and leave here tonight, and never show your faces at Beacon Academy again."

"Fine! Whatever, just- just give it back!"

Weiss could tell this girl was genuinely upset about the current ordeal. But she still needed more proof than that.

To demonstrate she was serious, Weiss scraped the tip of her opponent's weapon into the ice, holding her gaze as she dragged it over the hard surface, screeching until a small bit of the tip came off.

"_Stop it!_" Emerald screamed. "I promise we won't come back, okay?!"

"_Promise_, huh?" Weiss lifted her spells and the ice disappeared, letting the other girl sink to the ground. "You wouldn't make that if you couldn't keep it now, would you?"

Emerald glared up at her, wishing more than anything that looks could kill because if they could, she would have torn the heiress limb from limb by now. She said nothing as she stood, walking slowly toward Weiss.

The white-haired girl was on high alert; Emerald's distress was real, but that did not mean she was incapable of turning on Weiss at the last second. Even if she did, Weiss knew she could still fight, but she would really rather not at this point.

"Wait," she called out, and the crimson-eyed girl did as she was told, stopping a few feet away from the heiress. "Outside," Weiss demanded. "Go collect your partner and then I'll give this back," she ordered, holding out the blade.

She was surprised, and faintly suspicious when the girl obeyed, maintaining her distance as she passed Weiss, and most importantly, Ruby.

Weiss watched her with calculating eyes, more or less herding her toward the exit before stepping to follow, prepared for any sign the girl would turn on her.

Ruby was clearly concerned for her partner and lifted her head, looking past the barrier of glyphs Weiss had protected her with.

"Weiss..." she whispered, begging her not to go.

The heiress made sure Emerald's attention was not on her before she turned to Ruby.

"Hush. It's over now. It'll just be another minute or so."

Ruby whimpered and hugged herself, opting to trust in her partner's words.

Weiss turned back to her opponent and followed her out into the twilight.

Emerald found Mercury unconscious on the ground, chunks of ice scattered around him.

"You useless idiot! How long did you last, thirty seconds?"

"Twenty-two, actually," Weiss informed her.

Emerald rounded on her, eyes blazing.

"Mark my words, Schnee. I'm going to _kill you_. Originally, the plan was to take out the rest of your team and just ransom you off, but I'm gonna put a word in with Cinder to change that. I'll tear your throat out. I _can_ promise you that."

Weiss never flinched at the threats, lifting her chin smugly in a silent challenge for Emerald to do as she had said. She threw the other girl's blade into the ground inches away from the fallen boy.

"I would _love_ to see you try," she hummed.

The entire world paused for a moment as crimson met mist-blue, and there was nothing else between them but sheer loathing.

Then, Emerald snatched her blade from the ground and yanked Mercury onto her shoulder before tearing off into the growing shadows.

Weiss watched her go, listening as her footsteps disappeared, until the only sounds left were the rustling of leaves.

The threat had passed, at least for now.

Weiss sheathed her rapier and pulled out her scroll, sending a distress signal back to Beacon; she would have done so sooner, but the urgency of her mission of getting to Ruby at the time had taken precedence over all else.

Presently, she closed her scroll and put it away once the message had been sent.

Then, she turned to the old building and limped back inside.

Ruby had been calling for her worriedly, and finally cried out in relief as soon as she saw her again.

"Weiss! Oh god... t-thank god..." She stood just as Weiss cancelled the spells, releasing the makeshift barrier from around her. She staggered over to her leader, and Ruby reached out to support her, holding her sides to keep Weiss on her feet. "Weiss... W-Weiss..." She mumbled, swallowing thickly, unable to do anything else.

Weiss rested her hands on Ruby's shoulders, both for support for herself and her partner's reassurance.

"It's alright, Ruby." She pulled the younger girl close to her chest calmly. "She won't hurt you ever again._ I promise,_ Ruby. I won't let her." She slid one hand down briefly to wrap her pinky finger with Ruby's and gave a squeeze. Weiss could not promise Ruby that _no one _else would ever hurt her again, but the heiress knew she could promise to keep Emerald away from her no matter what.

Ruby nodded, breaking down and sobbing softly into Weiss's collar. Her hands clung to the heiress's back, fingernails digging in, and Weiss winced, not at her own pain, but at the pain Ruby was conveying; she knew the girl was in terrible agony at having been so utterly betrayed by the person she had once thought was her friend.

Weiss petted through the girl's hair as Ruby shook in her arms, and all the heiress could think to do was apologize. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I'm sorry she hurt you so much. I'm sorry I _let_ her. I shouldn't have..." Her voice trailed off, almost fragile.

Ruby shook her head against Weiss's neck.

"No..." she mumbled. "No, Weiss, no. You didn't do anything wrong at all. I was stupid and I should've listened to you." She pulled back a step, eyes tearful as salt droplets reached over her small smile to her chin. "But I know... I know who my _real_ friends are. Thank you, Weiss. Thank you _so much_... f-for being my partner and my best teammate... for being my best friend. _Thank you, Weiss_..."

Ruby slumped to her knees, and Weiss willingly went with her, her legs having been about to give out under her anyway. She sighed, resting her chin on Ruby's shoulder, savoring the feeling of her body against hers. She waited for Ruby to stop shaking, continuing to whisper bitter apologies, and grateful thanks into her ear.

"I'll never betray you, Ruby. You're my best friend..."

She felt Ruby nod again.

"Yeah! I know, Weiss. I know. Me, too. Thank you..." She nuzzled into the older girl's soft skin, letting out a long breath.

At last, she had stopped crying and trembling and could focus more on Weiss.

From her current position, she could hear the heiress's heartbeat, still racing a bit from the fight she had just engaged in, and Ruby knew her partner was still scared for her.

"Weiss... are you okay? You fought a lot and really hard. I know you're so good she didn't even land a single hit on you! But... but what was all that you said about coming here by yourself?" she wondered, hugging Weiss's small frame closer to her.

Weiss rubbed her hands up and down Ruby's back in cajoling movements as a small chuckle slipped past her lips.

"Well... I didn't make the Air Ship in time to stop you. So I used my glyphs-"

"W-What?!" Ruby's eyes went wide like silver saucers and she quickly pulled back, staring up at her partner. "Weiss... you mean you-you came all the way here like that? H-How could you still stand, how could you manage to fight _both of them_ and win?!" She slid her arms up Weiss's sides and to her shoulders, squeezing her fervently. "_Gosh_, Weiss. I mean, you're amazing and I knew that and I've _always_ known that but... gosh, that was a lot, even for you! I'm so... _so_ glad you're okay..."

"Trust me..." she breathed. "Not as glad as I am that _you_ are."

She held Ruby for a long moment, and was held by her; when it felt like she was about to come apart at the seams, Ruby was there to keep her together.

The young leader waited until Weiss's breathing came easier and her pulse got slower, matching her own. Ruby sat back again and looked up into her eyes once more.

"You.. You did all of that... for me?"

Weiss's lips curved into a beautiful smile, and Ruby realized she was crying as well.

Weiss's careful fingers moved up to the girl's plump wet cheeks, and she caught those tears gently.

"What kind of a question is that?" she murmured. "Of course I did. And I'd do it again as many times as it takes to ensure you're safe, Ruby. You're my partner." All she could do was lean down and embrace her again. "You're my friend."

"Yeah..." Ruby nodded vigorously, sobbing softly, but with a smile. "Yeah, yeah! Thank you, Weiss."

"There, now. It's alright. Everything's fine." She cradled Ruby's head to her chest with care.

The moonlight cast silver puddles onto them both, dust dancing in the air above as quiet sobs grew softer and eventually stopped.

Before much longer, the sounds of a large air craft could be heard, and Weiss knew the rescue team had arrived and would soon find them; she could already hear Yang and Blake calling out their names.

Weiss recalled she had learned the name "Cinder", and intended to report it to Ozpin as soon as she could.

"They're here, Ruby. We can go home," she murmured.

She felt the girl nod, tucking her head beneath Weiss's chin.

"Thank you... Let's go home..."

"We will." The heiress rested her chin atop Ruby's head and breathed out. "We will, Ruby."

Their teammates were the first ones to reach them, the professors and medical personnel giving them brief examinations and asking questions as Blake and Yang helped the two girls back to the ship.

Inside, Yang sat beside her little sister, trying to cool herself down as Ruby repeatedly reassured her that she was okay, thanks to Weiss. The heiress sat beside Ruby, who held tightly to her hand, and Blake supported Weiss from her other side.

They all listened as Ruby recounted the story, how her partner had so bravely and elegantly come to her rescue and defended her.

She spoke proudly at the time, but Weiss could hear the sadness in her tone; Ruby had lost a 'friend' tonight, and she knew it would take time for Ruby to ever try and make a new acquaintance, or even simply talk to someone else after all of this.

She knew they would meet Emerald again some day, and that the girl would do her best to hold true to her promise of killing Weiss, but the heiress was not concerned.

She had her team, and they had her; they had each other.

They were going to face many more battles, trials, and hardships in the future - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

But it was nice to curl up in their beds that night and feel safe, supported, and warm.

* * *

**A/N: Just a small thing I threw together after last week's episode.**

**I realize I didn't mention Emerald's semblance, as we don't know it yet. I realize she probably doesn't have that kind of connection to her weapons and that she wouldn't go down so easily, and I realize Weiss probably couldn't take out both her and Mercury on her own. So please don't flame me~ Just enjoy this for what it is.**

**Please review!**


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